Cotton-gin.



PATENTED SEPT. 29,1903.

0. MOPHERSON. COTTON GIN.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

I my UNITED STATES Patented September 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

COTTON-GIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,905, dated September 29, 1903.

Application filed April 5,.1902- Serial No. 101,587. (No model.)

a citizen of the United States,residing at South Framingham, in-the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Grins, of

which the following is a specif cation.

My invention relates to roller cotton-gins,

and has particular reference to that class in which are employed a rotary comb or other clearing device, a rotary ginning-roll, and a stationary bed or doctor knifeadja'cent to said ginning-roll and cooperating therewith.

The object of the invention is to provide novel means for rapidly and effectively ginning the seed-cotton under treatment without crushing the seeds or cutting or otherwise mutilating the staple.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for creating a reverse current of air in the ginning-chamber to divide and defiect the seed-cotton therein to opposite sides,

thereof toward the ginning mechanism and to return to said chamber any cotton-seed which has passed through the ginning mechanism without having all of the lint removed therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for creating a more perfect ventilation in the ginning-chamber to enable the seed-cotton to be more readily conducted 10 the ginning mechanism.

Other objects of the invention will herein- 1 of a modification.

Like reference-numerals indicate like parts in the di'fierentviews; I

The ginning-chamber 1 has an opening in its upper wall through which the seed-cotton from the chute or conduit 2 is delivered by any suitable or well-known means. Located within the ginning-chamber is the ginning mechanism,consistin'g of the ginning-rolls 3,the bed or doctor knives 4, arranged in close relation thereto and cooperating therewith,and the rotary combs 5. The ginning-rolls 3 are mounted upon the shafts 6 and are provided with a covering 7 of any suitable material.

said rolls are rotated in opposite directions,

The

as indicated by the arrows 8, and serve to draw thelint from the seed-cotton down into the lint-chambers 8. The rotary combs or clearing members 5 cooperate with the ginning-rolls 3 and serve to dislodge and separate the seed from the cotton. The ginning mechanism referred to has been shown in duplicate, the ginning-rolls 3, the bed-knives 4,

and the rotary combs 5 being identical with each other on opposite sides of the chamber. The bed or doctor knives 4 are held in place in any suitable manner. They have, however, been shown as secured to theupper ends of strips 9, forming parts of the seed chamber 10. Secured to the strips 9 and located in a substantially horizontal position below the rotary combs 5 is a screen 11, .the

said screen being of such mesh as to'enable the cotton-seed from which the lint has been completely removed to pass therethrough into the chamber 10, but to catch and retain the seed which has passed through the ginning mechanism without having all of the lint com tions and at a high rate of speed, theycreate an upward current or draft of air from the screen 11 through the space between said c'ombs and up into the ginning-chamber 1. This current or draft serves to elevateany cotton-seed with lint adhering thereto from the screen 11 and cause the same to reenterso as to cause it to pass into the spaces between the rolls 3 and the combs 5. This is an important feature of the invention.

The teeth 13 of the rotary combs 5 have blunted or rounded ends 14, as clearly shown, and these teeth are preferably formed upon disks 15, secured to the shafts 16. Said disks 15 are arranged in parallel relation to each other, but are separated from each other by the spacing blocks or washers 17. I preferably form on each of the disks 15 four of the teeth 13, although it is obvious that a greater or less number of said teeth may be formed on each of said disks. The disks 15 are so arranged on the shafts 16 that the teeth 13 of each disk are located in advance of the teeth 13 on the next adjacent disk, the purpose of which will presently appear.

For the purpose of guiding the seed-cotton to and between the rotary combs and cooperating ginningrolls and to assist in preventing the seeds from being crushed by the teeth of the rotary combs 5 I employ the stationary deflectors 17, the same extending from side to side of the ginning-chamber 1 and having their lower ends formed with tapering edges 18, extending downwardly to a point as close as practicable to the periphery of the ginning-roll and the outer edges of the teeth 13 on the combs 5. These deflectors serve to automatically guide or deflect the seeds contained in the seed-cotton laterally relative to the teeth on the rotary combs, so as to enable said teeth to force the seeds away from the lint and conduct them into the seed-chamber 10 without being crushed. Secured to or formed integral with the deflectors 17 and extending across the ginningchamber are the deflector-plates 19, the same being inclined, as shown.

In cotton-gins of the class to which my invention belongs the seed-cotton is ordinarily delivered into the ginning-chamber by airpressure, and for the purpose of facilitating the feed of the seed-cotton and the delivery of the same to the ginning mechanism I provide the ginning chamber with suitable means of ventilation, so as to allow a portion of the compressed air to escape therefrom, while preventing the seed-cotton from escaping. To effect this ventilation, I secure to the upper ends of the deflector-plates 19 the screens 20, which extend up to the top of the ginning-chambeiyand provide openings 21 in the side walls of the casing of the device, which openings are covered by the screens 22. I may, however, dispense with the screens 22, if desired, using merely an opening 21 in the wall of the casing. I may also dispense with both the screens 20 22 and the opening 21 and use in lieu thereof the screens 23 in the top or upper wall of the ginning-chamber.

By the use of the screens 20 or other means for relieving the air-pressure in the ginningchamber and permitting the escape near the initial end of said chamber of the air-current employed in carrying the cotton intothe gin I also overcome any tendency which the entering current of air might have to suppress the upward draft of air created by the rotary clearer were the only escape of the entering air at the bottom of the chamber through screen 11. To further permit the rotary clearer to maintain this upward draft, I also make use of the seed-deflector and deflectingplate by so arranging the same in the positions shown between the gin-roll and the rotary clearer as to suppress all conflicting draft-s transverse or counter to the desired paths of movement of the cotton and which might otherwise be created by the ginningroll or the rotary clearer, or both.

The lower edges of the deflectors 17 have been shown and described as being provided with a continuous unbroken edge. I do not limit myself to this construction, however, as with certain grades of cotton the lint may be more readily conducted to the ginning-rolls by forming the lower edges of the deflectors with notches, teeth, or fingers, as shown in Fig. 4, 24 representing the fingers, and 25 the notches or spaces between said fingers. These notches or spaces 25 are arranged directly opposite the teeth 13 on the rotary combs 5.

Now it has been stated that one of the prime objects of my invention is to provide means whereby seed-cotton of any quality or variety may be quickly and effectively ginned without crushing the seed. In etfecting this result the rotary combs 5, and particularly the rounded or blunt ends 14 of the teeth 13 thereon, play a very important part. In operation the seed-cotton passes down between the deflectors 17 and the combs 5, the lint being engaged by the ginning-rolls 3 and drawn downwardly between said rolls and the bed-knives 4. As the combs 5 5 rotate the teeth 13 thereon strike against the seed, dislodge or disconnect the same from the lint, and comb or separate said seed from the lint, allowing the same to drop down into the seed-chamber 10. The round-ed orblunt ends 14 of the teeth 13 enable said teeth to pass freely over the seed without crushing the same and without cutting or tearing the lint. For effectively dislodging and removing the seed from the lint it is important that said teeth engage the seed along the shouldered or radial edges thereof and along approximately diametrical lines through the seed. If, however, contact takes place between the teeth 13 and the seed at one side of a diametrical line through the seed, the latter will be deflected out of the range of movement of the particular tooth by which it is engaged into the space between two disks 15, formed by one of the washers l7. Said seed will then be engaged in proper position for removing it by the next adjacent tooth 13 of thenext adjacent disk 15. In this way all of the seed may be elfectively removed and separated from the cotton under treatment without danger of crushing the same or of tearing or otherwise mutilating the lint, and in addition to the impact imparted to it by the rapidly-revolving teeth it Will be given a rotary or twisting movement through the series of rapidly-reoccurring impulses, which increases the effectiveness of the ginning operation.

By the term teeth as I employ the word in connection with the rotary clearer I include all such projecting parts upon the rotary member as are adapted to perform similar functions, and my invention is not limited either in this or in other respects to the specific structure shown, which is submitted for illustrative purposes only.

Having now described myinvention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a cotton-gin, the combination with a rotary ginning-roll and a bed-knife cooperating therewith, of a rotary comb for removing the seed, having teeth thereon arranged in parallel planes and provided with blunt or rounded ends, and a seed-deflector arranged between said ginning-roll and said comb, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. Ina cotton-gin, the combination with a rotary ginning-roll, astationary bed-knife and a rotary comb, provided with teeth arranged in parallel planes thereon, of a seed-deflector located between said ginning-roll and said comb, and having its lower edge provided with fingers, theteeth of said comb being located opposite the spaces between said fingers, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a cotton-gin, the combination of a ginning-roll, a bed-knife, a rotary clearing mem ber for removing the seed, clearingteeth thereon having a path of movement in proximity to the edge of said knife and transverse thereto, and aseed-defiector cooperating with said clearing member.

4. In a cotton-gin the combination of a ginning-roll, a bed-knife, a rotary clearing member for removing the seed, having clearingteeth thereon provided with blunt or rounded ends, and having a path of movement in proximity to the edge ofsaid knife and transverse thereto, and a seed deflector between said ginning-roll and clearing member.

5. In a cotton-gin the combination of a ginning-roll, a bed-knife, a rotary clearing member for removing the seed, clearing teeth thereon having a path of movement in proximity to the edge of said knife and transverse thereto, and a seed-deflector cooperating with said clearing member provided with fingers interposed between the paths of movement of the adjacent teeth on said clearing member.

6. In a cotton-gin the combination of a ginning-roll, a bed-knife, a rotary clearing member for removing the seed, clearing -'teeth thereon, and means between said clearing member and said ginning-roll to deflect the seeds and suppress drafts orair-cnrrents counter or transverse to the path of the cotton.

7. In a cotton-gin, the combination of a ginning-roll, a bed-knife, a rotary'clearing member for removing the seed, clearing-teeth thereon, and means between said clearing member and said ginning-roll to suppress drafts or air-currents counter or transverse to the path of the cotton.

8. In a cotton-gin, the combination of aginn-ing-roll, a bed-knife, a rotary clearing member for removing the seed, clearing teeth thereon having a path of movement in proximity to the edge of said knife and transverse thereto, and means to direct the seeds toward the toothed clearing member prior to the action of the ginning-roll thereupon.

9. In a cottongin, a bed-knife, a clearer, a ginning-chamber having a seed-cotton inlet and a seed-outlet, a ginning-roll intermediate said inlet and outlet, screens near the inlet and outlet ends of said chamber, means for returning theunginned cotton nearthe seedoutlet end toward the seed-cotton-inlet end to cause the same to be ginned, and means to suppress drafts or air-currents counter or transverse to the path of the cotton.

10, In a cotton-gin, a bed-knife, a clearer, a ginning-chamber having a seed-cotton inlet and a seed-outlet, a ginning-roll intermediate said inlet and outlet, screens near the inlet andoutlet ends of said chamber,and means for returning the unginne d cotton near the seed-outlet end toward the seed-cotton-inlet end to cause the same to be ginned.

11'. In a cotton-gin, aginning-chamber having a seed-cotton inlet and seed-outlet, a plurality of ginning-rolls intermediatesaid inlet and outlet,bed-knives cooperating therewith, opposed rotating clearing members for said ginning-rolls, and screensnear the inlet and outlet ends of said chamber.

12. In a cotton-gin, a plurality of ginning rolls, bed-knives cooperating therewith, opposed rotating clearing members for said ginning-rolls, and means between said ginningrolls and clearing members to suppress drafts or air-currents counter or transverse to the path of the cotton.

13. In a cotton-gin, a plurality of ginningrolls, bed-knives cooperating therewith, rotary toothed clearing members for said ginning-rolls, and means cooperating with each of said ginning-rolls to direct the seeds toward the toothed clearing members prior to the action of the ginning-rolls thereon.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES J. MGPHERSON.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL L. J OHNSTON, FRANK I. CHAPMAN. 

